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The One-Installation Edition Friday, May 3, 2024

Apple Confirms iPadOS Will Get Same EU App Changes As iOS This Fall, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Earlier this week, the European Commission said that iPadOS is also a gatekeeper platform under the Digital Markets Act. [...] With iPadOS being added to the mix, Apple has also confirmed that users who install the same app on both iOS and iPadOS in a 12-month period will only generate one first annual install for that app rather than two, which should help developers keep below the CTF threshold.

Apple Gives Small Developers More Ways Around Its Alternative App Store Tax, by Emma Roth, The Verge

Apple is exempting more developers from the Core Technology Fee (CTF) it introduced in the European Union. In an update on Thursday, Apple announced that developers of free apps without monetization won’t have to pay the new fee.

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The company also says small developers with less than €10 million in global annual business revenue will receive a three-year free “on-ramp” to the CTF “to help them create innovative apps and rapidly grow their business.”

Business Update

Apple Q2 2024 Earnings: Analysts' Expectations Exceeded But iPhone Sales Down, by Roman Loyola, Macworld

iPhone sales, which usually buoy Apple’s results, took a hit this quarter, posting $46 billion in revenue, which is a 10 percent decrease from the second quarter of 2023. Wearables, Home, and Accessories revenue was also down 10 percent. iPad sales were also down 17 percent.

Apple’s Services set a record for the quarter and saw a jump in revenue YoY of 14 percent, while Mac sales increased about 4 percent.

Tim Cook Says Apple Is Uniquely Well-positioned For AI, by Mark Sullivan, Fast Company

Cook said Apple is making significant investments in the burgeoning technology and that the company is uniquely positioned to make the most of AI because of its “seamless integration of hardware, software, and services,” including its “neural engine” AI chips, as well as its “unwavering focus on privacy.”

This Is Tim: Transcript Of Apple’s Q2 2024 Analyst Call, by Six Colors

"Looking ahead, we’re getting ready for an exciting product announcement next week that we think our customers will love, and next month, we have our Worldwide Developers Conference, which has generated enormous enthusiasm from our developers. We can’t wait to reveal what we have in store."

"We continue to feel very bullish about our opportunity in generative AI. We are making significant investments, and we’re looking forward to sharing some very exciting things with our customers soon. We believe in the transformative power and promise of AI, and we believe we have advantages that will differentiate us in this new era, including Apple’s unique combination of seamless hardware, software, and services integration, groundbreaking Apple Silicon with our industry-leading neural engines, and our unwavering focus on privacy, which underpins everything we create."

Stuff

Apple Watch AFib History Feature Qualified By FDA To Evaluate Medical Devices, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

Apple's atrial fibrillation (AFib) history feature on Apple Watch has been qualified by the FDA under its Medical Device Development Tools (MDDT) program, the first digital health technology feature of its kind to do so.

Why Loopy Pro Is The Best iPad Recording Software Around, by Pete Cottell, Wired

It’s an essential songwriting tool that encourages musicians to workshop arrangements on their own, but it really shines in a live setting when a capable musician employs a looper to conjure a towering wall of sound with minimal assistance.

TwelveSouth's Adjustable iPad Mount Is Secretly A Versatile iPhone Accessory, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

HoverBar Duo is primarily marketed as an adjustable iPad mount for using the tablet hands-free. However, the arrival of FaceTime for Apple TV 4K makes HoverBar Duo a versatile solution for positioning your iPhone camera just right.

Develop

Apple Expands Figma Support With New Set Of Design Templates, by Ryan Christoffel, 9to5Mac

Apple today has added nine new design templates to its collection of Figma resources, significantly increasing the number of resources available for Figma users.

Notes

When Notifications Pick The Wrong Time To Remind Us Of Something, by Joanna Nelius, The Verge

Notifications can intrude into every moment of our lives, fighting for our attention without tact. Yes, we can turn them off or click “unsubscribe” on emails that never made it into the junk folder, but the point is they shouldn’t be happening in the first place. Would we be okay with a stranger holding up a sign that read, “Hey! Remember when your friend died?” as they ran up to us in a cemetery? Would we accept our ex-partner shouting, “It was supposed to be me!” in the middle of our wedding ceremony? Enough intrusive thoughts go through my head on a daily basis. I don’t need an algorithm reinforcing them because it mathematically concluded I want to see what it wants to show me.

Why The Radio Is Still Better Than The Spotify Algorithm, by Justin Pot, Lifehacker

Rabbit holes can be fun, but I don't want to be in one of them all the time. Sometimes when I listen to music, I prefer to hear a blend of what's trending in the culture right alongside a bunch of old songs I already love and haven't heard in ages. Sometimes I want to hear weird music I'd never seek out and that the algorithm would never recommend to me. And yes, I like it when my music is occasionally interrupted by an actual human being who tells a corny joke or comments on the news.

Bottom of the Page

The new CTF rules that Apple updated is indeed very Apple-ly. Once again, they blanket a lot of stuff to reduce any possibilities of loopholes, they leave enough room for interpretations, and they make sure big companies do not get away with paying.

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Thanks for reading.